Budget: $1.5M
Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is arguably one of the best horror movies ever made. It is the ultimate cult classic that launched an incredible franchise — and Johnny Depp’s career. Who could possibly forget the bedroom scene with a teenage Johnny? If you haven’t seen the classic and you actually needed another reason, there it is!
The film, which centers around a psychopathic madman who kills teenagers in their dreams, was produced with a budget of $1.5 million and grossed over $25 million after its release in 1984. The movie forever solidified Wes Craven’s place in the horror hall of fame as one of the greatest (and most twisted) minds of all time. Now, there are 11 movies in the super successful franchise.
Pulp Fiction
Budget: $8M
Quentin Tarantino’s crime-thriller masterpiece "Pulp Fiction" came out in 1994 and wowed critics and audiences around the world. The unique and seedy film about the underground world of mobsters, gangsters, and the women they love was created using a budget of only $8 million but ended up making $212 million at the box office.
Multiple critics throughout the years have called it one of the greatest films to ever be made. Perhaps the fact that it was full of stars like John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson contributed to its outrageous success in theatres. Whatever the reason, "Pulp Fiction" rightfully earned its place on this list. It was nominated for 7 Oscars and won 1 for Best Original Screenplay.
Goldfinger
Budget: $3M
"Goldfinger" is one in a series of James Bond films, in which the late Sean Connery plays the dashing and daring 007. The movie was filmed for a modest (by Hollywood standards) $3 million and was hailed as being one of the best in the franchise. And, it seemed as though audiences agreed with critics, seeing as though the film grossed nearly $126 million, which was pretty substantial for the 1960s.
The movie was based on the book written by Ian Fleming, which was first published in Europe about 5 years before the 1964 silver screen debut. There are now more than 20 films in the James Bond Franchise.
Get Out
Budget: $4.5M
"Get Out" is a tantalizingly unique thriller directed by comedian turned director Jordan Peele. It was the first film that Peele has directed, though because of his status; he was able to scrounge together a cool $4.5 million in funds to produce the mind-bending film. The movie stars Daniel Kaluuya, who plays the boyfriend of a woman (Allison Williams) when the two go visit her family for one of their reunions at her parents’ house, and Daniel gets more than he bargained for when something turns out to be very, very wrong.
The film grossed over $220 million at the box office and earned Peele his well-deserved industry cred as a director. "Get Out" was nominated for a number of awards, including Best Picture and Original Screenplay, at the Academy Awards and 5 different nominations at the 23rd Critics Choice Awards. It wound up being on the top 10 list of most profitable films in 2017.
The Blair Witch Project
Budget: $60,000
"The Blair Witch Project" had a terrific PR campaign before it hit theatres. The previews of these teenagers lost in the woods on what looked like homemade footage were so thrilling because it was unlike anything audiences had ever seen before. That probably contributed in large part to the fact it brought in nearly $250 million worldwide. Although the previews ended up showing pretty much the best parts of the film, which was created by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, who did all of the writing, directing, and editing themselves.
After it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, it grabbed the attention of distribution companies and earned itself a $1.1 million distribution deal. Since the film’s release, several other directors have followed suit in this film style, creating other “found footage” hits like "Paranormal Activity." The film also prompted the release of a few sequels, "Blair Witch" (2016) and "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2," which came out just a year after the original.